The present invention relates to a trailer designed for performing the following duties: transporting on ordinary or bad roads a floating box caisson, smoothly and completely launching the floating box-caisson, even in a strong-current water-course, and retrieving the caisson floating on water for re-installing the same on the trailer for transporting the caisson to another site, this last-mentioned operation being also performed when the caisson is floating in a strong-current water-course. All these operations are performed by using only equipment provided on the trailer.
A trailer according to this invention has a conventional road chassis of relatively simple design, and is characterized in that it comprises a tip-frame hingedly mounted to the rear edge of the road chassis and provided with means for causing the tip-frame to be tipped from its normal horizontal position to a more or less inclined position. A sub-frame is slidably mounted in the tip-frame and is provided with means for causing its longitudinal movements of translation in relation to the tip-frame. A hauling carriage is provided with means for guiding the same for movement within the sliding sub-frame. A system is provided for causing the carriage to move in the sliding sub-frame. A lock is mounted on the hauling carriage for interlocking the caisson and carriage assembly.
According to a specific feature characterizing this invention the means for tipping the tip-frame from its normal horizontal position comprise fluidactuated cylinders interposed between the road chassis and the tip-frame.
According to a further feature characterizing this invention, the means for moving the sliding sub-frame in translation with respect to the tip-frame comprise an endless chain system driven from a hydraulic motor. According to this invention, the same endless chain system may be used for controlling the longitudinal movements of translation of the hauling carriage.